so, vampire waiter, chatty musician waiter, and now hot married waiter
the place: union, 1357 washington st, south end
the date: friday, 03.27.09
the plan: cocktails and dinner
I ended up at union twice in one week and am pretty much okay with that. it’s definitely designed to be a neighborhood-y place and while I don’t love the food, I do love the vibe of the place and think they have great cocktails and apps. I was running late and had one of those cabbies who has a problem with intersections (“the corner of washington and union park” should be as acceptable as an actual street address, dude, so relax and start driving), so I was running late, but met up with m and le just in time to buy a round of cocktails.
drinks, of course: I started with a strawberry-basil martini. this is possibly my favorite drink in the world. well. okay, after the mojito. and anything champagne based. but really. if you have never considered the miracle that is combining strawberry and basil, you must stop everything and plan your summer around this flavor combination. (actually, I’m planning on making basil-infused vodka this summer and doing just that, so this isn’t some sort of do-as-I-say thing. I’m committing.) anyway, it was refreshing and delightful in every way and I finished just as it was time to be seated which I think is always a sign of perfect planning.
for dinner we ordered a bottle— a gruner that was dry and tasty, austrian, I think. it went well enough with all our meals. it was reasonably priced— mid-40s, I believe.
to start: unlike monday, I actually ordered a full restaurant week meal and started off with the spring pea soup. it was light and neither too sweet or too salty, though I believe there was supposed to be some sort of creme fraiche that I couldn’t quite detect. still, enjoyable. both the ladies had the asparagus salad and pronounced it good. most importantly, like every time I’ve visited union, we had an amazing waiter who took time to check on us, knew the menu well, had suggestions when asked, and was just an all-around delightful guy. and super-cute to boot. I would have declared eternal love to him, actually, had he not been wearing a wedding ring. but, that’s not the point here.
the main event: I had chicken, with some sauce and probably a vegetable component. it doesn’t much matter what it was because it was not-at-all memorable and too salty. I’ve had this problem a bunch lately — to the point where I’m wondering if it’s me and I’ve just become overly sensitive to salt. hmmm… I think m and le liked their meals, I know le had the pasta I had on monday (good but too salty, should you not feel like revisiting the review).
sweet treat: that smores bread pudding that I was looking forward to all week unfortunately left a lot to be desired. not enough amazing yummy smores-y goodness and the whole thing was kind of dry as well. I probably wouldn’t have been as disappointed if I’d just had it monday, but after thinking about it, I was a little sad. ultimately, unless a place is known for its desserts or there’s something I particularly know to be good, I think my experiences with desserts during the past week just reconfirmed my belief that it’s rarely worth the expense and the calories to have restaurant desserts. just have another glass of wine and be done with it.
so, it’s weird because I know I didn’t love the food, but I had a great time, I enjoyed the apps and the cocktails so very very much and I was so pleased with the atmosphere and service, that I’m definitely going back soon. sometimes it’s not so much about what you eat, even in an eating establishment, as it is about the experience you have. and union creates a great experience every time.
